Review of the Proporta iPhone 4/4S Aluminum Skin

Our friends over at Proporta were kind enough to send us over one of their aluminum skins for the Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The skin works similarly to a screen protector - it has a sticky side that will allow it to cling to the device. It comes with both a front and back skin for the iPhone. This case will run you $19.95 and comes with a lifetime warranty. We've been using it for the past couple of days and now have a good idea of how the skin functions on a day-to-day basis.

Introduction

The skin was relatively easy to install, just a little difficult to align with the camera on the back and the camera and speaker on the front. The front skin arrived bent slightly on either side (visible in some pictures), making it literally impossible to install since each side of the skin was popping up when the other went down. We weren't able to test the front shield at all since we couldn't install it, so we're going to give it our fair judgement.

Build quality

Both the front and back skins are made out of aluminum. The back skin feels well put together, but as we mentioned earlier, the front wasn't as good. The front skin was easily bent and once that happened, it became increasingly difficult to install. The back skin wasn't as easily bendable (likely because it's more solid than the front).

We like the idea of aluminum, but wish it would be a little stronger.

Style / Design

The style and design of this skin definitely stands out. We actually love it, and it looks good on the iPhone. The aluminum has a brushed design to it, giving it a rugged look that complements the black glass surrounding the device. We weren't able to check out how the phone would have looked with the front skin installed, but judging by the back, it should look pretty nice.

Front Skin

Like we've already mentioned, we won't be able to give a fair review on the front skin this time around since we couldn't install it. If you're careful (especially went removing it from the packaging, hopefully all will be well and you'll be able to throw it onto the device. From the looks of it, the shield would protect the outer edge of the front of the iPhone, and does have openings for the speaker port, home button, and front-facing camera.

Back Skin

The back skin was significantly easier to install, and also includes holes for the rear-facing camera and accompanying flash. It includes a nice brushed aluminum finish and looks pretty good on the device. It has a "Proporta" logo on the back, but it's not easily noticeable if you're worried about that.

Protection

Don't expect this skin to save your phone if it falls for whatever reason. It's designed to provide scratch protection on the front and back of the iPhone and covers none of the aluminum that lines the device (top, sides and bottom). It's good at protecting scratches from the device, but not for fall protection.

Removal

Removal was relatively painless. There wasn't any sticky residue left on the iPhone after a couple of days of leaving the skin on. While it was a little difficult to start "peeling" it off, it came off well and a quick brush with a microfiber cloth and you're all set.

Notes

Pros

• Relatively easily installation
• Looks nice - brushed aluminum is a nice touch
• Comes in red, blue, black and gray color choices
• Good for protecting scratches
• Easy removal with no sticky residue

Cons

• Front shield could have better build quality
• Not useful if you're looking for fall protection
• Adds some bulk to the iPhone (to be expected, however)
• Don't expect to be able to use this skin with any non-silicon cases

It's All Tech gives the Proporta iPhone 4 / iPhone 4S Aluminum Skin a 7.5/10 rating (10 being the best).

Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player Review

The following article is a guest post by Kevin Moore. Kevin, who writes for online-virus-scan.org, started to write back in the days when he had to go to college. Since then, he realized that Internet marketing is his calling. His interest turned into a profession.

As more and more media goes digital, more and more media plays continue to emerge. As people invest more money in digital content and streaming media, they want to be sure that they aren't stuck behind their PCs or clutching their smartphones in order to watch their favorite movies and television shows.

Western Digital was one of the first companies to respond to this growing need, and they continue to put out new products such as the Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player to meet this demand. WD seems to understand the particular needs of this segment greatly, as they were one of the first to streamline and simplify the process of linking up one’s television set with their PC.

The Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player is one of the solutions WD has put forth to help get locally stored and streaming digital content to user’s television sets. Feature-rich and sleek, many potential customers want to know if it is indeed as good as it looks?

The Pros

The Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player supports a wide variety of video, audio and photo formats, meaning that it is able to handle quite almost anything, locally stored anywhere on your home network and via the Internet. It features full-HD with 1080p video playback.

The player itself is small and sleek, so it won’t take up unnecessarily large amounts of space, and it won’t be unsightly, even when paired with an external hard drive. It’s easy to set up, as all the ports are labeled and the composite AV cables are included. Many won’t even need directions to set this up, and once it is connected, the on-screen menus will be quite helpful. The on-screen system is very functional and easy on the eyes. The additional information and search features along with other on-screen attributes give it a one-up on the preceding model.

This WD Media Player comes with an Ethernet port located on the back of the device. This allows users to utilize a media server or a shared drive on the home network. This ability for Internet connectivity is what lets users access many online services like Netflix, Pandora and more.

The Cons

The good news is there are not many downsides to this WD Media Player. As most of the local media users will play comes from a connected USB device like an external hard drive or flash drive, there will be a slight lag between connecting and accessing the files. This may annoy some, but other users won’t be bothered as the time lag is about the same as it would be waiting for a conventional external hard drive to get started.

The Ethernet port on the back of the device is another small strike against this Media Player. While this allows connectivity to the Internet and the home network, it allows for a wired connection. Most folks have their home computer and Internet connection in a completely different location than their television sets. This means a wireless adaptor will be necessary in order for most users to connect the media device to the home network or the web.

Conclusion

The Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player is another solid media player from WD. Aside from a small delay from connection to file availability and the lack of wireless capabilities, this media player is almost perfect. WD made a sure winner with this device, a good cost effective solution for anyone considering buying a media player any time soon.

Toshiba Portege Z835 Ultrabook Review

The following article is a guest post by Kevin Moore. Kevin, who writes for online-virus-scan.org, started to write back in the days when he had to go to college. Since then, he realized that Internet marketing is his calling. His interest turned into a profession.

More and more of the new laptops coming to market are Ultrabooks, a trend that many in the know in the computer world see culminating in a total proliferation of these ultra-sleek notebooks. It may be that the laptop as we know it will be completely replaced with these slim, lightweight, powerful portable computers.

The Toshiba Portege Z835 is just the newest of Toshiba’s releases in this growing new category of notebook computers. Not the first Ultrabook, Toshiba released, the Portege Z835 is still very much in the first wave of super skinny notebooks coming to the marketplace. This means that it is nearly impossible for any Ultrabook coming to market to be perfect, and this new Toshiba release is no exception.

Pros

The Toshiba Portege Z835 lives up to the Ultrabook name. It is 0.68 inches at its thickest and weighs less than 3 pounds. It features an SD slot, Ethernet jack, HDMI and RGB outputs, and Superspeed USB 3.0 support for one of its three USB ports. Its suggested retail price is also less than USD $900, making it a bit less pricy than some of the other Ultrabooks out there.

It is much more attractive than many competing models running Windows. It has an attractive brushed aluminum cover and a grey metal frame. The only downside to the aesthetics of the Portege Z835 is the plastic that is used in its construction. While the plastic is one of the major reasons this Ultrabook is so impressively light, you can unfortunately feel the plastic when you pick up this Machine.

The Portege Z835 doesn’t come too overstocked with bloatware, something that is a rare find in many of today’s computer releases. Some of the pre-installed software like some camera applications could be quite helpful, and others, that are not so handy, are easy enough to delete.

Cons

The Toshiba Portege Z835 comes with in Intel Core i3 processor, which is more than enough for many regular users. Power users will most likely find this processor a bit lacking, especially if desiring to do any sort of video or photo editing on this machine or any other advanced process.

The battery life is longer than that of standard laptops. Toshiba estimates that the Portege Z835 should last for about 8 hours, but this estimate however is based on low screen brightness and basic functions. If you are watching video or have the brightness up, expect five to six hours of battery life from this Ultrabook.

The main criticism for this machine ends up focused on the display. The angle of the display needs to be absolutely perfect to prevent washout. This can be a bit annoying if using this laptop actually on your lap; every slight move you make will cause you to have to tilt the screen so that the display is visible.

The other problem pointed to most is the amount of noise this skinny system produces. The culprit appears to be the very high-pitched fan that can be quite the distraction in quiet conference room or lecture hall.

Conclusion

If you need to get an Ultrabook now, the Toshiba Portege Z835 is an excellent choice, especially if you have your budget in mind. All of the downsides to this attractive notebook can easily be overlooked once you take the comparatively low price tag into account. Power users may need to pass on this one, however, waiting for one with a more powerful processor. Those who don’t need a new notebook immediately may be better off waiting. As with all new tech, prices are sure to come down in the future, as the next wave of Ultrabooks come to market and the technology advances.

Review of the Proporta Adaptive Design Case and Stand for iPhone 4

Our friends over at Proporta were kind enough to send us their Adaptive Design Case and Stand for the iPhone 4 in order to review it. We've been using it on our Verizon iPhone 4 for just about a week now and we've rocked it enough to give a solid review on the case. 

Overview

The case's main two features are the ability to customize the backing and the fact that you can use it as a stand for the iPhone. The case comes with a clear back and is made from polycarbonate materials. It has a cut out for the camera hole on the rear side, a cut out for the mute switch (which appears to be cut for the GSM iPhone 4 model, not CDMA as the switch is not aligned properly, but still usable), and covers for the volume rocker switches on the iPhone. The case also has a slot for the headphone jack and a cover over the power button of the device. 

The Adaptive Design Case and Stand also has to cut outs on both sides of the shell, allowing the iPhone to be placed inside and use the case as a stand when you're watching a movie or reading something. 

Our thoughts

The case is a very tight fit (emphasis on the very). Right after I put it on, the screen protector that was installed on the iPhone began to peel up because the case wraps so snuggly around the device. Some people might like that, but if you use a screen protector on your iPhone, be cautious. Alongside the tight fit, the case isn't very flexible - it's made from polycarbonate materials, which means it won't be very flexible. Because of these reasons, the case is sometimes a pain to put on and take off. 

As a result of that, the stand feature isn't always practical. If the device is easier to remove, then I find myself using the stand much more because it is useful. However, it takes a few minutes just to take out the iPhone and at that point, I'd rather just hold the phone in my hand rather than putting it in the stand. 

The adaptive designs are very nice - they are elegant and allow you to customize your case. However, the designs are printed on a slightly thicker than normal piece of paper - they are very easy to bend and rip (I ripped one of the sheets within ten minutes of receiving the case just trying to remove it from the packaging). 

The case is a fingerprint and dust magnet on the back, which is why you may want to use one of the sheets to make it less noticeable. The volume rockers and power button are still easily accessible, as well as the headphone jack and 30-pin dock connector. The mute switch cut out, however, is clearly made for the GSM version of the iPhone 4 (like AT&T), not the CDMA variant (like Verizon Wireless). If you are on Verizon Wireless, you'll notice that the cut out is slightly higher than the switch itself - the rocker is still useable, but you're going to have to dig a little to get to it. 

The design of the case is elegant and comes with a grip in the top right-hand corner to make it less slippery. 

Pricing information and design choices

The Proporta Adaptive Design Case and Stand for iPhone 4 will cost you $24.95 and comes with three different sheet designs for the back of the case (seen in Pictures section below). The case also comes with a screen protector that we assume works, but couldn't install because we already have one on the iPhone. 

Other notes

• The case comes with a lifetime warranty from Proporta

It's All Tech gives the Proporta Adaptive Design Case and Stand for iPhone 4 a 6/10 rating (10 being the best).

Pictures

Review of the Proporta Reception Case with SteriTouch for iPhone 4

Our friends over at Proporta were kind enough to send us their Reception Case with SteriTouch for the iPhone 4 in order to review it. We've been using it on our Verizon iPhone 4 for just about a week now and we've rocked it enough to give a solid review on the case. 

Overview

The case features a very nice design on the back, making it easier to grip the phone. Since silicone is slippery on cases sometimes, it's nice to have this grip on the back to make sure the phone doesn't fall out of your hands (not to mention it looks really nice). The case wraps around the phone snuggly and seems to be cut well. With that being said, it does appear as though this case was designed specifically for the GSM (or AT&T) version of the iPhone because the mute switch on the device doesn't lineup with the cutout for the switch. It's still accessible, but is a little difficult.  

The case covers the volume rockers and the power button, but both are still easy to click and use. There is a cutout at the top of the case for the headphone jack as well. 

Our thoughts

While it was cut well, there are some portions of the case that didn't seem to have the black color that it's supposed to have - during manufacturing, it seems, there was an abnormality and the entire case wasn't made black (you can see a portion of gray in the top right corner). We can't say if this happens for all of the cases shipped, but is certainly something to keep in mind. 

In addition, we'd love to see imprinted symbols of "+" and "-" on the volume rockers to make sure that customers know that they're clicking the volume up or down button. Also, it appears as though the power button (button on the top of the device) gets stuck to case at times because it is somewhat difficult to actually make a firm click on it. Sometimes, we couldn't tell if the power button was pushed in or not because of this. 

The case adds a bit of weight and bulk to the device (as any case will), but it's certainly still usable and not that noticeable. It adds a nice grip to the iPhone so you can make sure it won't fall out of your hand as easy. Again, it has a nice design on the back that fits in very nice with the rest of the case. 

Pricing information and color options

The Proporta Reception Case with SteriTouch for iPhone 4 will cost you $26.95 and is available in the following color options: Black/Pink or Black/Gray. We received the Black/Gray option and if you're interested in that one, be sure to check out the pictures to get a feel for it. The special colors apply around the volume rockers and around the rear-facing camera cutout on the back. 

Other Notes

• The case does come with a standard screen protector for the iPhone 4. We already had an invisibleSHIELD installed, so we weren't able to test out the protector at this time. 
• This case is also antimicrobial, meaning it protects against germs and bacteria (always nice if other people will be using your device). 
• The case also comes with a lifetime warranty from Proporta.
• The case, as you can see in the pictures, attracts a good amount of dust and dirt. With that being said, you can remove it fairly easily. 

It's All Tech gives the Proporta Reception Case with SteriTouch for iPhone 4 an 8/10 rating (10 being the best).

Pictures

ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for iPhone 4 review

Recently, I installed the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD on my Verizon iPhone 4 (both the front and back protectors). I've been using it on my phone for about a week and a half now, and am able to provide a good review of the shields after some usage. 

Installation

ZAGG invisibleSHIELD's allow for a "wet install," or one where you use a solution that you spray on the shield. This allows you to set the shield on the device, but still move it around for a bit to position it to your liking. From previous experiences, I can definitely say that this install was one of the easiest ones. Again, because of the wet install, you can move the shield around to position is perfectly, and air bubbles can be squeegeed out afterwards. 

With that being said, don't install the shields if you don't have a good hour and a half of free time, because it's going to take time to get all the solution out using the squeegee. After installation, ZAGG recommends you leave the device off for 24 hours, but this isn't needed. Also, we don't recommend putting any case on the device for at least 48 hours after installation of the shields. 

How's it cut?

Surprisingly, the shield was cut relatively well. The edges of the shield (both front and back) match up relatively well with the edge of the iPhone. There is some abnormality with the cut around the home button, even if you position the shield near perfect. Also, the cut around the earpiece on the iPhone is a little rough when you hold the phone to your face - be aware of this. 

The camera+flash cut out on the back is near perfect, but some dust does get underneath the shield after time - be aware of this too. 

How has the shield on the back of the iPhone lasted?

After a week and a half of usage, I began to notice small scratches on the shield that's installed on the back of the iPhone 4. These scratches appeared even though ZAGG claims that these shields are virtually un-scratchable - this claim isn't very accurate as you can see. Also after a week and a half, I noticed a lot of dust piling up on the edge of the iPhone, and it's pretty hard to clean it off because the dust is underneath the shield. 

Also, the protector is a fingerprint magnet - you're probably going to want to clean it off every few days. 

How has the shield on the front of the iPhone lasted?

After a week and a half of usage, the screen protector has a few small scratches on it (just like the one of the back). Also just like the back one, the screen protector is a fingerprint magnet - you're probably going to want to clean this one off every day or so to keep it clean. 

As you see in some of the pictures, the front shield has a very distinct texture and look to it. It isn't a "crystal," or clean, shield and doesn't have a very smooth texture to the touch. With that being said, the texture on the protector is nice for many things, just not something that involves a lot of scrolling. When the device's screen is on, you're not going to see that bubbly look on the protector. 

Also, as a few pictures show, in the top-left corner of the shield, a bubble appeared. It seems like I put my case on too soon and the shield didn't have enough time to fully dry, causing this to happen. Again, reiterating what I said before, wait at least 48 hours before putting a case back onto your phone. This assures that the shield has fully dried. 

Pricing information 

You can pick up a ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for iPhone 4 at ZAGG's official website here: http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/apple-iphone-4-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php. The full body protection is going to cost you $24.99, while individual front and back protectors are going to cost $14.99 each. 

Lifetime Warranty 

ZAGG offers a lifetime warranty on these invisibleSHIELD's, meaning you can replace it for free at any point in time if the shield every gets scratches or some other type of damage. If you purchased the protector(s) directly from ZAGG, you are automatically registered to the program. On the other hand, if you purchased them from a third-party retailer, like Best Buy, you're going to have to visit the following website to register your shield under warranty: http://zagg.com/register   

Do I recommend it?

While the invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 4 does have its flaws, I would recommend the shield for anyone looking for easy-to-install protection on their phone. With that in mind, keep in mind that these shields aren't for everyone and many people don't like them. 

The circled area shows where the screen protector popped up

Review of the Livefyre Commenting System

Back in January, It's All Tech switched from the DISQUS Commenting System to a new, startup company, called Livefyre. A commenting system is one of the most important features of a website - it's how users interact with each other and it's how to know if people like your content or not.

The Livefyre commenting system is different than most others because it is heavily focused on social integration and making commenting seem like an actual conversation with someone. On other commenting systems, users have to refresh the page every time a new comment is posted. Livefyre uses a live comment stream, allowing people to "follow" a conversation on an article.

Livefyre also allows users to sign in using Twitter or Facebook, which is a nice touch. I'd like to see more options (such as Google, Yahoo!, or OpenID) and Livefyre is working on those things. Livefyre allows users to "like" other comments, as well as flag them and share them on Facebook and/or Twitter. Users also have the ability to gain points by creating an account and they gain 1 point for every "like" they receive.

Livefyre is not only changing the way users comment on the Internet, but is doing it well.

Pro's

• Social integration is a very nice touch
• Sleek UI
• The ability to "follow" a conversation
• Ability to change email preferences
• Easily see who is currently "listening" to that conversation, as well as who is on the page
• Easy setup
• Friendly support that's quick to respond and a staff that is involved in your website

Con's

• Does not load sometimes (but since it's a beta, this is expected)
• Would like to see the ability to edit a comment if you're a moderator/admin
• Would like to see more platforms supported
• More login options: Google, OpenID, Yahoo!, etc.

Overall

While Livefyre is in beta for just a little longer, you can ask for an invitation here. I expect to see Livefyre continue to grow and show up on even more websites.

It's All Tech gives Livefyre Comments a 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

Review of “Tracks” app [Mac]

Tracks by Conceited Software is a Mac application that allows you to search through your entire iTunes music library from your menu bar and then select songs to play. You don't even have to have the iTunes window active to do so.

The Idea

I've been looking for an app similar to Tracks ever since I switched from Windows to Mac OS X in 2009 and Tracks is the first that I've used that's done what it does well. The idea is very simple: have a menu bar icon, click on it (or setup a keyboard shortcut for it), type the name of the song, artist, or album that you'd like to listen to and click enter. The song will automatically begin playing in iTunes and you can go along with your business. Additionally, Tracks will search the iTunes Store for content.

Pro's

• Allows you to play and choose music without interrupting what you're doing
• Last.fm integration is nice to have
• Searching iTunes Store from the menu bar
• Very sleek, Mac-like user interface
• Keyboard shortcuts to use Tracks become very useful
• Growl integration is nice if you'd like to see a notification every single time a new song plays

Con's

• Still has bugs that need to be addressed
• Would like to see issues with freezing resolved
• More social integration: Twitter and Facebook
• I'd like to see some type of equalizer integration as well

Overall

Tracks is most likely one of my favorite applications on Mac OS X, because it's easy to use and works well. I don't have to interrupt what I'm doing, switch to iTunes, pick a song, and then go back to what I was working on. I can just click on the Tracks icon, type what I want to listen to, and hit enter.

Tracks is available in the Mac App Store for €7.99 or for download/purchase here.

It's All Tech gives Tracks a 4.5 out of 5 star rating.

Review: Chit Chat for Facebook

What is Chit Chat

Chit Chat is a Facebook Chat client. It allows you to send chats, receive chats, update your status, write on people's walls, and send private messages.

Pros -

• The chat implementation is great. It keeps tabs of all of your open conversations.

Here is an open conversation -

• You don't even need to be on Facebook to update your status, or post on someone's wall, or send out a private message.
• It let's you know when people log in, and log out. (See More later)
• Emoticons work  (Sorta)
• Support for multiple languages.
• Support for changing shortcuts.

Con's -

• It takes a very long time to sign in.
• Messages and Wall Post's take awhile to send.
• When people log out, (Especially if you have a lot of friends) it shows them on the side, and it has taken up the right side of my screen. Luckily, you can turn them off.
• Emoticons are strange, it has different faces then what Facebook uses, and several of the emoticons in the list are the same thing.
• It's only on Windows.

Overall -

It's a great product, excluding a few con's. Chat implementation is a breeze to use, and it has a lot of features beside chatting. Unfortunately, like any product, it has a few problems. The biggest problem of them all is it doesn't support Mac. It's All Tech is giving it a rank of 7 out of 10.

Review – Call of Duty: Black Ops Campaign Mode

Call of Duty: Black Ops hasn't even been out for one week yet, but it's already become the fastest selling video game ever. As with any other Call of Duty title, Black Ops has a campaign mode where you play solo and try to defeat enemies, while following a storyline. Black Ops take place during the Cold War era during the 1960's in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba and the U.S.S.R.

Campaign Mode

When you first start off in the campaign mode, it is as CIA agent Alex Mason. He's strapped to a chair surrounded by televisions, and someone speaking to him. Mason is tortured for answers to questions to help stop a terrorist attack. Throughout the campaign, you are brought back to Mason strapped in his chair and giving a preview of what will happen next in the battle. Between missions, there are nice splash screens that give you a taste of the history during that time period, as well as what's going to happen next.

It feels like there is a lot of bullets flying all over the place during the entire campaign, with some over-dramatized explosions. The game is very point A to point B, as well, not allowing you to take some time off course to explore like in Modern Warfare 2.

Glitches in Campaign Mode

Call of Duty: Black Ops almost seems like it was rushed in the fact that it has tons of graphical glitches and bugs. I found myself in a car that was supposed to be driven by another character, but he never showed up, and it forced me to restart from the last checkpoint.

Characters also seem to randomly disappear when you're shooting at them and the same thing happens when you run into them. When you kill characters, some of them will land in an awkward stance, and some will even float in mid-air.

While this may not be a glitch, there are some lengthy videos that you're forced to watch (and can't skip over) at some points in the game. It can get very annoying if you keep dying at a certain point.

Gameplay

Players have the ability to drive cars, fly helicopters, and ride motorcycles. You can finally swim in water during one of the missions, instead of magically standing on it like in previous Call of Duty's.

In my opinion, the most fun missions are the last two were the objective is very clear and you can do a lot more things to win the game.

Graphics / Audio

This is definitely were Treyarch excelled in Call of Duty: Black Ops - graphics are certainly the best they have ever been and one of the best compared to other titles currently on the market. Voice-overs were also wonderful - it definitely made the game experience better.

The soundtrack of Black Ops was also pretty good - The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil and Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son. The music fits in with the time period.

Pros:

• Excellent graphics
• Interesting story line
• New abilities and fun objectives

Cons:

• Way too many bugs
• Seems like most of the campaign is bullets flying everywhere and over-dramatized explosions
• Can't really explore during campaign

So, what do you think about Call of Duty: Black Ops? Do you agree with our opinion? Anything else to add?

Motorola Droid X Review

The Motorola Droid X is credited as being the King of Android on Verizon's network. Does it live up to that name?

Hardware -

It's a huge phone, it has a 4.3 inch display, and it's very slim. When your looking directly at the phone, you have four hard buttons, Menu, Home, Back, and Search. Myself, coming from a Droid Incredible it's a big difference. On the right you have a volume rocker, and a camera button, on the left you have a microUSB port, and a HDMI port. On the top you have a 3.5mm headset jack and the power/lock button. The camera boasts 8 megapixels, but we will discuss that in another section. Strangely, Motorola decided to put a lanyard port on the bottom left. I'm not quite sure why they did that, but I guess that's why I'm not a designer. The case is not as elegant as the iPhone 4 or the Evo, but as ugly as it may be, it's still a good phone.

Software -

Motorola has made it real clear that this phone is not running MotoBlur, and I can't say whether or it is or it isn't. There are multiple things that haven't really been edited by Motorola. The majority of the Android widgets are still available, and many people will complain, but the music player has been untouched too. I think that stock Android music player is great. Motorola has drastically changed the gallery, and the camera/camcorder. Verizon has included what most people will consider bloatware. They have added Blockbuster, City ID, Need For Speed Shift, Skype Mobile, Amazon MP3, and Backup Assistant. Blockbuster, City ID, NFS Shift all require you pay. The software can lag every once in awhile. Motorola has included their widgets, which you can resize.

Camera -

Sadly, the 8 megapixel camera isn't great. If I had to choose the phone that takes the best pictures, I would have to give it to the Incredible. The camera shows a grainy texture over the picture when you take a picture in normal lighting conditions. When you snap a picture in the direct sun, it takes wonderful pictures. The camcorder records 720p, and it isn't very good either. It takes an extremely long time to adjust to the different lighting conditions. If your trying to record quickly, your probably going to be disappointed.

Here is a sample picture in direct sunlight (Note - It was sized down) -

Battery -

The battery is 1500 mAh, and I must give Motorola credit. I have never had any battery problems with any of my Motorola phones. I am easily able to get a full 8-9 hours out of this phone.

Overall -

If you can deal with the extremely large screen, you wont have any problems with this phone. The overall hardware is good, coming from the Droid Incredible, the screen control buttons, and the volume rocker are completely different, so you have to learn the new locations. I would have no problems recommending this phone to anyone. I would defiantly say that this phone is the Verizon King of Android.

[Evo and Standard Droid X Image Credit]

Android 2.2 (Froyo) for Droid Incredible Review

We did our overall review on the HTC Droid Incredible a few months ago, and we recently updated the phone to the currently rolling out software update. Android 2.2 or Froyo. We installed the RUU, which is the exact same thing as the official update.

Added Features
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• 3G Mobile Hotspot
• 720p Video Recording. See our sample video here
• Bloat-ware - VZ Navigator, QuickOffice, Amazon MP3, and Flashlight
• Adobe Flash Player 10.1
• More we didn't get to here

3G Mobile Hotspot is a welcomed addition. We first saw Verizon mobile hotspot on the Pre and Pixi Plus. The first Verizon Android device to receive it was the Motorola Droid X. It allows you to connect five devices to a Wi-Fi signal given off from your 3G network. I would not recommend using this as a regular Internet source, but for traveling, this would be a good thing.

720p Video recording is decent. It's not going to replace a regular camcorder, but for some quick video recording of your dog doing something hilarious, it's good. I wasn't expecting this to be excellent. It takes a little while to adjust to different lighting conditions, especially in sunlight.

Bloat-Ware is never a welcomed feature. I am still dumbfounded as to why Verizon includes VZ Navigator in their Android devices. Google Maps Navigation is just as good, and it's free. The flashlight app they added is wonderful. It uses the dual LED flashes on the Camera/Camcorder as the light, and it will provide some bright light in a needed situation.  Amazon MP3 is just a simple MP3 downloader.

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 is pre-loaded in this update, but if you try to search it in the market, you're not going to find it. I don't understand why it isn't available in the Market.

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Everything is extremely quick and snappy. We showed you our benchmark scores in another post, which you can find here.

This update is not without it's bugs though. I have noticed that it takes a little while to load text messages, which is something I've never had problems with. If you are in an app, then you try to go back home, you are occasionally greeted by the white and green HTC page, where Sense is attempting to turn on. This could be caused by the built in Task Manager within Froyo.

Review: TweetDeck for Android (beta)

Name: TweetDeck for Android

Price: FREE!

TweetDeck for Android has been in development for awhile now, and just a few days ago, they released it in beta, invite only form. I've used it for awhile, and I am ready to form a full review

The User Interface is very simple, and easy to use. It is just a simple as it is on the desktop, iPhone, and iPad. In the beginning, you get three columns. (TweetDeck puts your information into "columns") The pre-loaded columns are "Home", where it displays all of your tweets. Then, the second column is "Me" where it displays all of your mentions. Last, you get the "Direct Messages" column, and just as the name describes, it's personal messages. To move throughout the columns you simply slide across, easy right?

At the bottom of the app, you have a gray bar which has four buttons. The first one is a "Tweet" button, then you have another button, which is similar to the 2.1 launcher on the Nexus One, but it displays all of your favorite people, you can add them by clicking on one of the empty slots, then the third button is a "search" button, the fourth button is a "Maps." I'm not quite sure why they put that on there though.

You can add people to your columns by going to their profile then to their tweets and clicking the "Add Column" button.

When you click the menu button on your phone, you have the options to "Refresh", "Manage Columns", which in that section, you can control all the notifications. Then the last two are "Accounts", and "Quit".
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You can add many accounts. You have the options to incorporate Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, and Foursquare. You can have multiple of each. Then you have the option to sign into TweetDeck for "sync across platforms"

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Overall,
I have read many reviews which say this app "fails to impress," but I think it brings a welcome change to the average Twitter Clients. I have had no bugs in the software, and I personally think the app is great. Especially for Free. Many Twitter Clients make you pay to have multiple accounts, but TweetDeck doesn't. There might be some un-useful features, such as the incorporation of Maps, but I guess they think there is a reason for it.  I would have no problem recommending this client to anyone. You can sign up for an invite here.

iSendr.com Review

Today I was stumbling on stumbleupon.com and came acros this site, iSendr.com, and it was incredible.  Basically it is P2P (Peer to Peer) file sharing service that is quick and easy.  Any file size can be transfered between two people with a couple clicks!

iSendr.com is a  very simple file transfer service and I highly recommend it to anyone who is planning on or uses file transfer sites.  When I completed a test transfer of a music file, the actual transaction took about 2 minutes.  To make a file transfer, all you have to do is click send a file, choose your desired item and thats it, then all you have to do is copy the url and send it to your friend! You can even password protect your file for extra security.  One thing that I am not sure about is if you have to be online when your friend is receiving the file, because it is a direct file transfer so it does not get sent to a server first, which can be a very big negative if you are sending a file to someone in a different time zone, or if you and your friend arnt always on the computer at the same time.  Other than that, I think its a great site that has a lot of potential, you also have to keep in mind that it is a beta so its not 100% as of now.

So go to iSendr.com and check out this new service!

FarmVille App Review

FarmVille by Zynga:

Cost: FREE

iTunes Rating: 2 1/2 stars

My Rating: 3 Stars

So, I'm sure MANY of us have either played or heard about FarmVille on their FaceBook accounts, well that insanely addictive game is now available for iPhone and iPod Touch.So right when I opened this it reminded me of the times when I was glued to the computer screen waiting for my grapes to harvest, same music,  and same set up.  What was great, but also expected, was that I was able to link my account on FaceBook to my iPhone so I was able to start with my level 27 farm instead of starting at level 1.  This app is pretty much the exact same app as the FaceBook one, but its on a touch screen device, and the screen is way smaller. Speaking of touch screen, the touch screen experience isn't amazing, I found it slow and un-reliable, and often having to try to click  something multiple times to get it to register.  Now another thing that was weird to me, was that where there should be grass, there is what looks like snow, I'm not sure why it would be snowing but I tried reloading the app many times and still was getting this white snow.  You are still able to visit your friends farms and fertilize their crops, like I said, its pretty much the exact same, but mobile.  This is an overall fun app, if you played FarmVille before, or want to try it out, I suggest you pick up this free app to take your experience to the next level.

If anyone else has that weird snow, comment below.

[Review] Apple iPad

The iPad is Apple's "revolutionary" device. It comes in several different models, the WiFi 16, 32, and 64 GB, and 3G 16, 32, and 64 GB models. They also have a wide range of price points too.

I was able to get my hands on a 16 GB WiFi model. Personally, I won't ever use anything close to 16 GB, so I have no need for anything else.
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External

You may think that the iPad is just an iPod Touch with a larger screen, and yeah it might be.

The majority of the iPad is the 9.7 inch 1024 x 768, capacitive, multitouch LED-backlit display. Apple also added the standard "Home" button.

It has a Screen Position Lock switch, which locks the screen in landscape or portrait mode, and a volume rocker on one side. In the upper right hand corner of the top, you have a power/sleep button. On the left of the top, you have a 3.5 mm headset jack, and a mic. On the bottom, you have Apple's 30 Pin connector port, and the speakers.

Holding the iPad, in your lap, has a strange feel. It doesn't seem ergonomically correct, if that makes any sense.

Internal

Inside the iPad is Apple's own A4 1 GHz Processor, when scrolling through the browser, you can see that the iPad could really use some extra power. The checker-board pattern appears often. I'm not sure if that is the network, or the processor. Also onboard is 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a digital compass, an accelerometer, microphone, and ambient light sensor. The 3G model adds UMTS / HSDPA data along with an AGPS chip.

The battery is a 25 watt-hour lithium-polymer, is non-removable. Apple claims it will get 10 hours, and let me tell you, it will not leave you disappointed.

OS

The iPad is running iOS 3.2, and will be updated to iOS 4 later in the year.

The iPad was the first to receive iBooks, and app is very simple to use, but the store lacks compared to the Kindle's.

iPhone apps run on the iPad too, but when you scale up the apps, it really makes it grainy.

Keyboarding.

Keyboarding receives a lot of hype, on any device. Originally, I thought the iPad would be terrible to type on. It isn't. The keys are large, even for people who have large fingers.

Overall,

To me, the iPad is great. It has almost completely replaced my laptop. The iPad got a lot of harsh comments, when it was announced, but was it really that bad. I don't think so. The iPad is pretty good. For someone who is traveling a lot, this might be great for you. For somebody who doesn't, this still might be good for you!

Review of “The Scary Maze Game” for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

We just got our hands on the The Scary Maze Game for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (App Store, $0.99) and here's a quick review of it.

The idea of a maze game on the iDevice family certainly isn't new, but this app turns a twist on traditional finger-based maze games.

In the game, you try and take a small blue block and use your finger to maneuver through a maze without touching the sides of the maze. However, at first, this can be a bit confusing.

There aren't any instructions on what to do or how to do it. I'd think a short tutorial or animation would be nice.

Also, the blue block is very hard to "grab" with your finger and it took me literally 10 minutes to be able to just grab onto the blue block to try and move it. Yes, the app tests how steady your hands are and makes you not touch the sides of the maze, but allowing the user to "pick up" the block to move is not involved in that.

I'd also like to see some type of integration with OpenFeint integration to be able to track and share my results with others. Also, a type of leader board would be nice to have to see how good I do compared with other players.

The graphics of the app are also pretty plain - got boring very quickly. There's a black background, with a blue block, white maze and red block at the end. I think it would be pretty cool if the colors change level - just to keep it more interesting.

What's the scary part? Apparently there's something at the end of level 3, but we never got there because we couldn't grab onto the block at the beginning of level 3.

The in-app music was pretty annoying after a while, especially since the same thing kept repeating over and over again. Some better "maze game" music is available.

Finally, the question is, right now at least, is this app worth $0.99? Our answer - nope. If the developer improves some things mentioned, as well as fixes some bugs, I think this app would be worth $0.99.

The Scary Maze Game certainly has some potential with its idea, but it needs more work.

HTC Droid Incredible: Review

I got my Droid Incredible a few weeks ago, and I am here to deliver a final review for you. I was defiantly one of the lucky ones when I got mine.

Hardware -

When HTC's designers designed the Droid Incredible, they apparently got their inspiration from a jet black Italian sports car. The back cover has ridges that surprisingly don't make the phone uneven when it is sitting on a table. The only thing that makes it a little uneven is the camera lens that sticks out from the back. The internals and camera lens sport bright red colors.

On the top of the phone, you have a sleep/power button on the left, and a 3.5mm headset jack on the right side. On the left side of the phone you have a volume rocker, and a microUSB connector, from a first glance of the microUSB connector you would not think it is compatible with microUSB, but it is.

On the front of the phone, you have a large, gorgeous WVGA screen, four touch-sensitive buttons, (home, menu, back, and search), and a optical trackpad. When the Nexus One launched, the touch-sensitive buttons had sensitivity problems, and the Droid Incredible doesn't have those problems.

It has a 3.7 inch 480x840 display, and a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor. It has 8GB on-board memory, and an expandable microSD card slot.

HTC followed Motorola by launching a muscular phone, similar to the original Droid.

Software -

The Droid Incredible is running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense, and a Froyo update is supposed to be coming soon. Sense is a very elegant skin on the stock version of Android. It improves on many of the problems that Android has, such as the virtual keyboard, camera, and the stock music player. For those who don't like Sense UI, this isn't the phone for you because you cannot turn Sense off like you can with the Desire, and the EVO 4G. The browser is equipped with Flash Lite, and trust me, it's not good at all.

HTC even improves on some of the iPhone's faults, in example, cut, copy, and paste.

Verizon and HTC improved Google Maps Navigation, and putting the Visual Voicemail into the Messages app loaded on the phone. Apps that come pre-loaded on the phone are HTC's Teeter, Footprints, Friendstream, and HTC's own Twitter client, Peep, but if you don't Peep, you can always download Twitter for Android.

Overall, the experience is a great one. Sense is great, and with the 1 GHz processor, its quite fast too!

Battery Life -

When I do phone reviews, I usually don't put this section in, but I feel it should be added. The battery is a 1300 mAh battery, and HTC and Verizon promise 312 minutes of usage time, and up too 146 hours of standby time. The battery life is good, but not outstanding. Compared to other super-phones out there, the battery is below par.

Overall -

The phone is great. Its fast, and is running some great software. Sense improves on a lot of problems on the Android software, and it also has a lot of Social Networking features. It you don't like not having a physical keyboard then this is not the phone for you, but if it doesn't matter too you, then it's great choice. Sadly, due to Samsung screen delays, the Droid Incredible is also delayed. If you order one today, you won't get it until July 14th.

Verizon Wireless customer service review

I wanted to share my experiences with Verizon Wireless Customer Service. Just to let everyone know, this problem of mine has been going on since November of 2009 when I had my Blackberry Storm. Please note, I have had 3 phones since this.

I live in Shreveport, LA, and ever since November of 2009, as I said up above, I have had extremely poor coverage. I have been unable to place a clear call, if it is clear, it gets dropped, and I could not open up a website. Every time I would call Verizon, they would tell me I had great coverage where I lived, and I was having no problems.

Now, I am in Kansas City, Kansas for a visit, it is a pretty large city, and you would expect to get good coverage... Nope. So I decided to call Verizon again to report it, because now I couldn't place a clear call or if it was clear, it would be dropped, I couldn't open a website, and now it took me an hour to download three apps. Once again, they told me I get great coverage where I am at, and am having no problems. That is the third or fourth time I have been called a liar from their Customer Service team.

Now, I got tired of messing with Customer Service, so I emailed Lowell McAdam, the Verizon Wireless CEO on June 3rd or 4th. This morning, June 7th I received a call from one of the Executives in New Jersey, and he preceded to tell me I wasn't having problems with my phone. He said I could take my phone to the store, and get it replace. Yeah, I could do that, but why? I've had 3 phones since the start of this, and they all didn't work. What makes him think the next one is going to work.

The moral of this is, if your looking to switch carriers, Verizon probably isn't right for you! For America's most reliable 3G network, I sure haven't seen it.

HTC Droid Incredible: HTC Sense UI

HTC Sense UI is a skinned version of Android. It is designed the help bring you and your social life together, and it does just that. Very well might I add.

At first, Sense UI, or Sense can be a little confusing, because it is a whole bunch of stuff piled on top of Android. The Droid Incredible is running the newest version of Sense, which is placed upon Android 2.1. Many phones that run the newest version of Sense, have the option to completely turn off Sense, sadly you are unable to do that on the Incredible, but then again, why would you want too?

Sense improves some of the worst things about Android, it provides a wonderful, spaced out virtual keyboard, a better music player, and a better camera.

Sense also adds more widgets, plus the stock Google widgets, it adds more live wallpapers, but removes the Nexus One wallpaper. It comes with a several apps already included like Peep, FriendStream, Footprints, Quickoffice, and Teeter.